Will the Memorial Cup be coming to Everett?
Published 10:00 am Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tomorrow is a big day for Everett hockey. That’s when the city finds out whether it will be hosting the 2010 Memorial Cup, the major junior hockey championship tournament.
Everett is one of three cities bidding for the event, along with Brandon, Manitoba, and Kelowna, B.C. The delegations will make their presentations tomorrow morning, with the announcement of the winner in the afternoon.
Brandon is considered the favorite to land the Cup, with Everett a contender. Kelowna’s bid is considered largely ceremonial.
Why is Brandon the favorite? Well, the city has a lot of things working in its favor:
– The Wheat Kings have tradition, having been a signature franchise in the league 42 years and never hosted the Memorial Cup.
– It’s supposed to be the Eastern Conference’s turn, as Western Conference city Vancouver hosted the Cup the last time it came through the WHL.
– Brandon should have a strong team next season, with star forwards Brayden Schenn and Scott Glennie expected to hit their peak.
– The city and provincial governments have pledged to foot much of the bill for hosting the event.
However, the Keystone Centre in Brandon needs a lot of work to reach Memorial Cup standards. The city has agreed to renovate should Brandon land the Cup.
Everett is the upstart in the race. In just their sixth season of existence, the Silvertips are thought to be a bit green to be awarded the Memorial Cup. In addition, there’s sponsorship concerns about holding the Canadian Hockey League championships in the U.S.
However, Comcast Arena is a superior facility, and its greater capacity allows for the possiblity of a greater windfall for the league, which splits the revenue from the Memorial Cup equally among all its franchises.
Kelowna in not considered a likely candidate. The Rockets hosted the Memorial Cup just five seasons ago and it’s unlikely Kelowna would get another Cup so soon. Also, Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton is on record saying that Kelowna’ bid is mainly about keeping the process fair. Hamilton, who’s also the current chairman of the board of governors, has made statements that indicate he supports Brandon’s bid.
So, what do you think about Everett’s chances of hosting the 2010 Memorial Cup?
